Nov. 20, 2013

Written by

Staff

The Tennessean turns today’s news stories and treasures from our archives into books on Middle Tennessee history and culture. These books – print and digital versions – tell the stories of the people and places The Tennessean’s journalists have covered for decades, in words, photographs and editorial cartoons.

“JFK in Nashville” chronicles occasions when President John F. Kennedy visited the city, both as a presidential candidate and later as chief executive. Nashville welcomed him warmly, but his last jubilant appearance here, in May 1963, in hindsight foreshadowed his assassination in Dallas six months later.

“George Jones: King of Broken Hearts” is a tribute to Jones, the honey-tongued singer whose life mirrored a country song. He captured hearts around the world until his death in Nashville in April 2013.

“Nashville Rising: How Modern Music City Came to Be” portrays how Nashville became the “it” city of today, and not just for music. Nashville’s food scene, creative culture and dynamic neighborhoods wouldn’t be what they are today if not for some politically daring decisions 50 years ago.

Coming soon: “Christmas in Nashville 1963,” an e-book retrospective of the holiday season 50 years ago. Were you among the Nashvillians captured in these photos?Also coming soon: “Because of You: A Civil Rights Movement Emerges in Nashville” chronicles how a determined group of local college students risked their education, their relationships with their parents and their lives to desegregate the city’s lunch counters and cinemas.

The Tennessean’s books are stocked by several local bookstores as well as online merchants. For details on where to buy, see Tennessean.com/books.